JESCOL 2021

Keeping the Faith
JESCOL, acronym for Jesuit Collaboration, comprised of a three-day seminar (23 – 25 September). It was packed with insights about the Jesuit ethos, the life and teachings of their founder St Ignatius and the work that the Jesuits do especially towards forming a casteless, equitable, egalitarian and non-partisan society. The staff are invited to be collaborators in the noble mission of the Jesuits as they familiarize themselves with the ideology that drives the fathers of the Society of Jesus.

DAY 1:
Seventy-two staff members were enrolled into the session and were called to be collaborators in the mission of the Jesuits. The training began with a prayer service which was serene and soulful, beseeching the Almighty to be the guiding light throughout the three-day seminar.
Fr Swebert D Silva SJ, Rector of Arrupe Niwas briefed the audience about the seminar and its dynamics. The Principal of SJBHS, Fr Sunil Fernandes SJ continued the session with an icebreaker and a few team building activities. Fr Denzil Lobo SJ took the audience through 450 years of Jesuit history from the time of St Ignatius’ conversion to the growth of the order.
Father highlighted prominent Jesuit priests down the ages and their accomplishments as well as the reach of the Jesuit educational institutions in India and overseas.
The post lunch session belonged to Fr Joseph D’Mello SJ. He emphasis was on the core values of the Jesuit vision and mission especially in context of the cultural and economic pluralism of our State. Referring to Viktor Frankl’s book ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’, Fr D’Mello quoted: “If you have a WHY in your life, you will live ANYHOW!”
The day ended with a panel discussion, which consisted of four panelists sharing experiences of their collaboration with Jesuit Institutions. The testimonies enlightened the audience on the freedom to think, grow and contribute as integral members of the Jesuit legacy.

DAY 2:
The day began with a prayer, again with the explicit purpose of God being our guide and mentor.
The session commenced with Fr Swebert D’Silva SJ enumerating the characteristics of Jesuit education, all for the sake of building a just and good society. Some highlights were that Jesuit education is world affirming, assisting in the total formation of each individual, preparing the individual for a meaningful life – an education with a view to bring about competence, conscience, concern for others and commitment on the part of the learner.
Fr Denzil was back on Day 2 with his overview on Jesuit leadership and governance.
A large amount of statistical information formed the bulk of this session. The stakeholders were made aware of the 5 levels of leadership followed in the Jesuit hierarchy. The uniqueness of the hierarchical system was that the posts were through appointments and not by elections.
The pre-noon session was on the ‘Spiritual Exercises’ promulgated by St Ignatius. A step-wise explanation of the same was done by Fr Joseph Rodrigues SJ. His thorough knowledge of the ‘Spiritual Exercises’ brought to the fore the rules for discernment, the three kinds of humility, the phases of desolation and consolation and the purification of the mind, heart and will.
The post-noon session was with the Rector of Ashirwad, Fr Arun Luis SJ, who dealt with the topic ‘Jesuits and Options for the Poor. The plight of the marginalized is among the priorities of the Jesuits in their strife towards an egalitarian society. Fr Arun highlighted the work done in the missions at Manvi, Anekal, Vijaypura, Sindagi, Mungod and Mysuru. An eye-opener, if ever there was one!
The day ended with a group discussion on the principles of Jesuit education, its implementation at the school level and improvements that can be undertaken in the light of the Jesuit vision and mission.

DAY 3:
The half day session commenced with a meaningful, somber and expressive prayer service reminding us of God in our midst, at all times. The topic ‘Collaboration’ held during the morning session was the highpoint of the seminar. Fr. Joseph Lobo SJ threw light on the goals and rationale of understanding collaborations in three dimensions – from employee to collaborators, in formation of collaborators and in the modes of incorporation and collaboration. Father touched upon terms like positive synergy and networking. Later in the morning, Fr Joseph also took a session on examination of consciousness, explaining the five steps in detail and holding a practical session so that the audience understood the steps involved.
Fr Victor Lobo SJ gave a brief insight into Indian social realities. The videos and statistics shared helped in understanding the plight of the Dalits in several parts of the country, the problems of the girl child, the prevalence of caste discrimination, human rights violations, child labour to name but a few. Father asked the gathering to contemplate on the ways that can be adopted to transform society through education.
The session ended with experiences shared by the attendees, a photograph of the group and a certificate to mark the completion of the programme. However, the key takeaway was the transformation in each of the participants, the multifold bonding between members of the group, the knowledge of the ideology of St Ignatius and his followers and the will/ enthusiasm to be collaborators in sharing the vision and mission of the Jesuits.